Jenny Hynes , My new web site I made myself on WIX. Just a week ago I never imagined I would be able to create my own web site just how I wanted it. I did it, I learned how. I am so proud of myself. It still needs some additions but Its a great start.
My book is almost ready too and all my paintings are framed for the show! I would celebrate but I got Jacks cold. I have a half hour left until I’m back on mom duty. I’m going to try to take a nap.
Early November 2016, shook to my core. Sexism wins. My heart sinks, I’m mad, depressed, sick, it lasts, it lingers. It’s October 2017. Just start to recover. The trauma Trump brought up. The words he spoke, “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it, you can do anything…grab them by the pussy” taken form a quote off Wikipedia from a conversation Trump was having with Billy Bush. Almost a year later Harvey Weinstein is on the hot seat for sexual harassment. All the feeling comes back, this time women are all banning together and putting “Me Too” as their status on Face Book. I wrote stories about the sexual abuse I went through as a young girl through my twenties after Trump was elected president. I don’t think my husband understood why I was so upset Hilary lost the election. I couldn’t include them in my book “Nap Time Paintings”. Some of the abuse happened when I was a minor and liabilities associated with naming too much information about sexual abuse is red flagged. I would have had to label my book “Eighteen and over”. I decided to take the stories out of my book. I do not know if the same rules apply to Blog writing?
Roles of girls and women in the land of the MAN: sexual object, a pretty face, an easy lay, subservient, housewife, MILF, she wears heals, she has long hair and makeup, short hair equals lesbian or bi-sexual, maybe she’ll do a threesome, but men prefer long hair, she wears a bra, if she doesn’t wear a bra she’s a lesbian, she loves sex, if she doesn’t love sex she needs therapy, there’s something wrong with her, she’s loose, she has sex with different men, she’s a slut, she’s a bitch, she’s sweet, she can get away with it because she’s pretty, she’s lying, she’s playing up the victim role, she wants money, the bitches always go after your money, what men say to men, she’s got a good body but an ugly face, she’s pretty cute, gross. Sexism makes me nauseous. I can’t wait till all the pigs go down.
“GUERRILLA GIRLS: Corruption in the art world drives us crazy, but the lack of human rights for women and children all over the world, especially in areas of war and conflict, makes us APOPLECTIC. The slightly good news: it’s always been two steps forward, one step back, but feminism is changing women’s lives around the globe—very, very slowly in most places, and significantly in others. Even the most repressive countries have feminist movements—brave women often working in secret. By the way, we think it’s ridiculous that so many people in the U.S. who believe in the tenets of feminism, equal pay for equal work, freedom from sexual exploitation and abuse, the right to an education, control over their reproductive lives, etc., have been brainwashed by negative stereotypes in the media and society and refuse to call themselves feminists.”
Today we woke up to a surprise blue sky. I was expecting the worst, all the air quality reports said today would be the worst. The fires are still burning, the wind must have taken the smoke somewhere else for the day? Jack, Fiona, Billy, and I walked to the park. It was a wonderful thing to breath fresh air. Jack and Fiona were so excited to play outside. When we got back there was a band tailed pigeon on the front stairs. He appeared to be injured, he just hopped up and down the stairs. I gave him some bird food and went inside. When I checked on him again he was huddled between the garbage cans so Jack and I took him to Wild Care, a wild animal rescue center. I realized the flock of birds I’ve been seeing recently are Band Tailed Pigeons. This was the first year I’ve seen them here. I enjoy watching them sitting in the trees.
Without the smoke it’s easy to forget about the fires. Alan is playing with Jack, tickling him, Fiona is eating a snack next to me. I want them to know how lucky we are. I want them to know every meal we eat is precious. It would be easy for Jack and Fiona to grow up and not understand that things don’t come easy to everyone. That all kids don’t have healthy food available all-day long. That some places in the world have air as bad as ours was yesterday every day of the year. Do kids still play outside in those places? I watched a Frontline last night about Scott Pruitt the head of the EPA. It was scary, he’s not in the job to protect the environment. It’s sad. With all the historic natural disasters I haven’t heard anything about Global Warming and its effects from the administration. Extreme weather is our reality, people are losing their homes, jobs, loved ones, livelihood. It breaks my heart. I want Jack and Fiona to know how lucky we are.
Dirty Laundry Blog by Jennifer Hynes 